Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1887-03-02

a L1udsn sabss TO the Nsw Tofk
Weri4. nndeK &ase Of FsaFnAry ID. gives
the f0iI0wfnG fssexrisw with Archibald
FORBES. ths great wax csrxespondRRf:
Archibald Forbes, who 10 regarded
6sre - the prince Of gar c0FEespan-
dsnts. 10 very positive that there will be
no waR. Is viii be rememhaxed that he
married last year IN WashinRtOu the
daughter of Gen. Meieez. and. hsppy rs
be u IN BIS domestic relations, and snf-
fsFine as be does from rheumatiam
eontsactsd IN the late Ra@0- I uxkish
var, be wsuld not probably take tie
acid II case hssEsiisies ahoasd begin.
Nevertheless. be Is an acute observer,
and fsw NEE are a. veil informed IS
he a. 70 the Sighting capacity Of any ard
ell TIE powers .Psacs viii NOT be cis-
tarssd this spring be said yesterday
when called npon him- There viii be
no oaforesk be1ween Gsrmany and
kranos. Indeed, throreh all fhis talk Of
@4r have never th0aRht IL prebsbIe.'
Nhyf asked. sBeoause the Freneh
are not going 10 attack. and Bismarck 10
sincere In his profession Of peAoe. II
be bad nos been be would have accepsea
q three-yeaT army bill instead Of insist
ma 20 soc last extremity 90 toe Septen-
nate. II be had really meAnt 20 pro-
yoke war immediately. three years
Eoald be ample time in when TO crush
France and have done With 10. Yea set
fh8Fe could NOS be long wAF. In truth
there eoQld not well be more than one
campalgn- Nor than enc w0aid be too
much for ths tinansial resources OF
either cs1stRy, 50 terribly expensive
you'd var be nos. Nobody la Germany
wants var. They did nos want q IN
1870, bat it vas forced upon them and
they struck back wiih t6Frida impasa
osity and effect. IL would be tenfold
worse nos. TEE French know il, and
they have csnnted the cost ana are GO
ina 20 keep quiet
OF course yea are well acquainted.
Mr.. Forbes, with the French and Ger
man frontiers and the defenses on botb
sides II war shsuld occur, what do
ys1 think weald be the line Of setiong
las said. France does not mean 90
attack, and II she did / do not see how
she conid ever break the German line of
Notifications. which Is much stronger
nov than in 1870, and believe il would
be almost ~ impossible for the Germans
10 break through the French lines,
which have bean greatly strengthened.
The point of actual contact between
France and Germany il quite narrow,
snd this has been fortified on both sid 8
10 the utmost limit Of engineering skill.
| think BismaTck's idea would be not to
break through the French lines. bat to
20 around through Belgium and strike
France on frontier that il almost de-
II 10 Ia
trying 10 square hlmsslf with Belgium
that be might do this with her consent.
In fact, he wanted to b We Belgium
oome into the German Empire and be
as much part Of it as Bavaria His
Argument was that II would be better
for Belgium 10 have the guarantee of
Germany than to be under 3 sort of pre-
secttnR @gis OF the great Powers, which
really amounts 30 no protection at all.
Belgium, however, preferred 10 be indie
pendent and rejected the advances of
Bismarck. do not doubt. though. that
the German army would march right
through her territory 10 attack France
II she thought it a military necessity
Bat would not that involve Ger.
many IN war With England, chs was
one of the siRnatories OF the treaty OF
Paris Of 1915, by which the neutrality
OF Belgium was gnaranteed2
That treaty amounts to nothing
There u not q power 10 E1rope that
would hght 30 preserve the neutrality of
Belgium under that treaty. Z GLAZED
would not England will fight TOR nntk
ing. except possibly 10 defend her ter
rit0ry from INVASION
"'YOu think she would not resist 6
Russian occupation Of BolgaEiaT
"'Ne, never
"'Nor Russian occupation Of Con-
stantinOple?'
No, never
"'Do you think that Russia will oc
cupY Bulgaria.
4" II she does. it will be- With the con
sent Of Germany and Austria
"' Then there wonld be no war in that
oase?'
None
"Mr. Forbes spoke With evident dis
gust at the mere mention Of any war
like disposition on the part of Enelaud,
and while the hero of more camp .igns
than any war correspondent living, he
takes The most pacific view of things all
around"